Mail

JODIE FOSTER
Jodie Foster continues to impress me, not only with her acting ability but her determination to keep her private life private. She is a woman who possesses intelligence, grace, bravado and strength—definitely a woman who will make a wonderful mother.
SHANNON MASSIEU, Clearwater, Fla.

Each year many single, professional, responsible women in this country achieve their dream of becoming mothers through donor insemination. Speaking as the proud mother of a bright, adorable 5-year-old, I can assure Jodie Foster that children who are parented well turn out well. One parent or two, the most important factor is love and guidance.
TAMAR ABRAMS, Arlington, Va.

I would like to know why Ms. Foster is being praised for having a baby out of wedlock. Yes, she might be a wonderful person, but what about the countless other women in this country who are looked down upon when they become single mothers? Does her celebrity status and wealth make her a better candidate for motherhood?
KATHRYN VERHULST, Warren, Mich.

I guess brains aren't everything. The message Foster will give her child is that men aren't wanted or needed. What an unfortunate message to give a daughter. What a disastrous one to give a son.
DEEDEE BRUSTER, Moorpark, Calif.

Not only do you praise a woman for having a child out of wedlock, you put her on your magazine's cover. I now realize why our youth is so misguided.
JASON SIITONEN, Voorhees, N.J.

DELTA BURKE
Finally there is a spokesperson for us who knows what it's like to be overweight in a Kate Moss world. I'm 39, a business professional working 50 hours a week and pulling a 4.0 at night school. I'm neither slovenly, stupid, jolly nor lacking self-control.
Jo ANNA ALLEN, La Porte, Texas

The mixed message in this issue was beyond anything I could imagine. First a profile of Susan Estrich's weight-loss book. Then an excerpt from Delta Burke's book about losing our obsession with weight and accepting ourselves for who we are. I wonder, which book should I buy?
EMILY ANN MEYER, via e-mail

What's a '90s woman to do when we trust and admire both Susan Estrich and Delta Burke? They're both strong, successful women who've overcome traumas in their past. Now one swears happiness is a size 6, and the other says, "Eve wasn't a size 6, and you don't have to be either!" My solution, as a size 12 who was once a size 6 for about 10 minutes: Buy both books, of course, and cover all the bases.
BEVERLY WYCKOFF JACKSON Washington

PETERSEN & GROSSBERG
How dare anyone characterize Brian Petersen and Amy Grossberg as "victims"! These two teenagers had several viable options in dealing with an unwanted pregnancy but didn't choose any of them. The real victim in this scenario was never even given a name to be remembered by.
MARY E. SCAGLIONE, Tampa

Why didn't Brian Petersen call 911 if he never intended to harm that baby? It's a sad story, but I think he and Amy Grossberg are both guilty of murder.
JONI SEYMOUR, Salina, Kans.

FIENNES & ANNIS
The double standard lives! Your article on Ralph Fiennes and his "older leading lady" focuses almost exclusively on their age difference, even including such nonsense as the romance being the result of an "Oedipal complex." Yet when multitudes of male stars hook up with much younger women, you hardly mention it, nor offer Freudian interpretations. By focusing on Annis's age, not her accomplishments, you perpetuate the myth that older men are desirable but older women are, well, old.
STACY TAYLOR, El Cerrito, Calif.

LLOYD BRIDGES
Lloyd Bridges was a terrific actor, role model and hero to many, and it is evident he was an exceptional family man. What kind of tribute is a three-paragraph summation of a remarkable life?
ELIZABETH BERGER, via e-mail

THE OSCARS—APRIL 6 ISSUE
To set the record straight, Paramount and Fox were delighted that Randy Quaid accepted our invitation to join our Oscar night celebration. Contrary to your report, he spent much of the evening as our guest following his earlier stay as an invited guest at the Vanity Fair party.
ALLISON JACKSON
PARAMOUNT PICTURES, Hollywood